Seeing is believing, as the saying goes, so it’s no surprise people would be eager for any technology that would help them see even more of the world around them. Using principles from a landmark series of books on optics by Arab astronomer Ibn al-Haytham, glassmakers in Italy created the first magnifying lenses in the 13th century, supposedly for older monks who strained to read manuscripts.
Next came innovations that allowed people to see farther into the distance, such as handheld telescopes for surveying and navigation. In the early 17th century, Galileo and other Renaissance astronomers pointed telescopes toward the stars and saw things no human had yet witnessed, such as moons orbiting Jupiter.
Ever since, astronomers have been striving to develop technologies that will let telescopes see farther, better. Their latest invention, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, is a technological wonder that includes the world’s largest digital camera, supported by a huge three-mirror system that lets the instrument clearly see very faint, far-off objects. Rubin will give us all the chance to repeat Galileo’s experience: marveling at parts of the cosmos no human has seen before. In this issue, Science News astronomy writer Lisa Grossman reports on her adventure to a windswept mountaintop in Chile to visit the observatory and see for herself what Rubin is made of.
Other visual treats to explore in this issue include the mesmerizing world of fractals, irregular shapes that defy the conventions of standard geometry and were first named 50 years ago by mathematician Benoit B. Mandelbrot. They are everywhere: in clouds, in mountains, even in our bodies. Freelance journalist Stephen Ornes explains how fractals connect to number theory and might help crack the biggest unsolved problem in mathematics, the Riemann hypothesis.
Bringing our theme of visuals even further down to earth, let’s talk magazine design. Many of you wrote in to share your thoughts about the new look of Science News, and we are thrilled that they are largely positive. A repeated critique was that the type size for news briefs, captions and the contributors page was difficult to read. I’m happy to report that we’ve increased it in this issue. We’ve also retired the Feedback page to make room for more science coverage. We will feature reader comments and questions in this editor’s note going forward, so keep writing!